A Story in December
by Kaggami-chan
Summary: Shinichi didn't need to rest. He was perfectly fine working every day. Ran, as always, didn't listen, and suddenly, Shinichi found himself with nothing to do, prohibited from working all December. That is, until he found a frozen stranger right before the worst blizzard Beika had even experienced. Well, at least he wasn't bored anymore. ShinKai.
1. Chapter 1

**Declaimer: I don't own Detective Conan**

 **A/N: Sup people. Hello to old and new readers. It has been quite a while... Christmas is around the corner, and I decided to take upon me a small challenge. It is rather easy, in some way, and hard in another. Challenge is simple: write at least 400 words every day. And while I have tons of fanfics to finish, I always wanted to do a more-than-one-shot Christmas story. So here I am. This will be updated daily, and word count will vary between 400-1k. And for those who don't believe this will be a challenge... well, I have two presentations and an exam during the week of 18th that I haven't even started working/studying for. Not to mention the exams that are just around the corner. So yea... this will be fun! Enjoy.**

 **(Join the challenge if you want!)**

 **Pairing: Future KaiShin**

 **Words: 428**

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Shinichi was returning from grocery shopping, carrying the heavy bags while trying not to slip on ice. After his last visit to the hospital because of a broken bone (not his fault the criminal thought it would be fun to hit him with a reinforced steel beam), he feared even a slight injury. Ran had threatened him with quite a lot of bodily harm should he end up in the hospital anytime soon, and he seriously liked having his body intact, thank you very much. Last thing he needed was a visit from Ran because he had slipped on ice and broken something... He doubted the girl would believe it was simply an accident after the last time he had lied to her.

Sighing, the detective looked up at the dark clouds, feeling another snowy night was around the corner. It was already December, and snow was falling down with vengeance. Perhaps trying to make up for the previous year, when it had only started snowing late in January. Not that it mattered. Shinichi was under strict orders to stay at home, only allowed to leave for groceries, only because everyone else was too busy to buy them for him. Both his doctors (the official and the spawn of evil) agreed he needed to rest, to the point that a terrifying Ran had expressively prohibited the police to call him.

Damn it, Shinichi didn't need to rest!

Simply because he hadn't taken a break for two years ever since he returned from his time as Conan, it didn't mean that he needed one. The detective was quite content with his busy life, thank you very much. It kept him from over thinking, keeping both his mind and body busy. There was simply too much Shinichi didn't want to think about, and the forced break wasn't helping.

Putting down the groceries as he arrived at his door, frustrated and sleepy, the detective fumbled for his keys. He should buy a small bag or something, his keys always entangled with the earphones in his pocket. That or keep them separated, the detective hadn't decided yet.

Unlocking the door, Shinichi walked into his lonely, cold, dark house. After years living with Ran as her little brother, returning to an empty house felt almost... cruel.

Shaking his head as that thought suddenly came out of nowhere; the detective closed the door with a bang. He did not feel lonely. At all. It was simply all in his head. Sighing, Shinichi headed to the kitchen. It was going to be a long December.


	2. Chapter 2

**Declaimer: I don't own Detective Conan**

 **A/N: Day two here I am! Thank you everyone for reading this story. The start will be slightly slow, but soon we´ll get to the interesting parts. Thank you Eyeinthesky and Crystal Spear for your reviews! I wasn't expecting any to be honest, hopefully you'll enjoy the story until the end.**

 **P.S. There will be alternating point of views from chapter to chapter.**

 **Words: 745**

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It was a cold night, but Kaito did not pay it much attention. His suit was equipped with temperature control especially for such cold days. The task force, however...

Oh man, he pitied them quite a lot. Because of the cuts in the budget (they had bought a new helicopter equipped with thermal sensors), there hadn't been enough to prepare for the fierce winter. The police officers had brought their own coats from home, but it clearly wasn't enough for the long hours they had to wait in the cold.

Shaking his head not to let the pity take over, he had to adhere to a schedule after all; Kaito smirked. Two more minutes, and the heist would begin. He already knew it was not the jewel he was looking for, he had stolen a look at it earlier, but it didn't mean he was going to just leave. After all, that heist wasn't even about the gem in the first place.

The morale of the task force, specifically a certain inspector, was extremely low. Or at least that's what Aoko told him, complaining for hours. Therefore, as not to lose his important victi- audience, Kid was going to give them a boost in confidence. It would be easy to pretend that their actions had somehow interrupted his plans. The task force was easily to manipulate, his very own marionettes.

(Not to mention the added benefit of stopping Aoko's complains. Anything to make her smile.)

Three seconds left.

Readjusting his suit, the smirk in place, Kid readied himself. It was show time.

"Sadly, I believe I'll leave without the gem today." Kid stated with a smirk, letting the red gem fall into the open hands of a surprised task force member. "You have been improving, inspector. See you next time."

In a cloud of smoke, the thief disappeared, falling down the building as he released a dummy. The free-fall felt exhilarant, the wind against his face, adrenaline pumping as ground approached quicker and quicker. Sadly, he had to open his hang-glided, there simply wasn't enough height for him to enjoy the fall without horrible consequences.

(He doubted his mother would like a squashed Kaito that much.)

For once, he was wearing dark clothes, trying to blend in the darkness with his black hang-glider. It was dark already, eight pm and counting, no one would even notice him. The task force had followed his dummy, the dummies they were, so it was a calm ride home. Hopefully though, what he did would be enough to brighten the inspector.

At first, the plan had been to return home by foot, Jii-chan had said something about an approaching blizzard. Stupidly, however, Kaito forgot to bring a coat with him, and the clothes he was using where too thin for the cold weather. Going by hang-glider would certainly be faster, he had concluded halfway through the heist.

Shivering, Kaito grinned as the last police car disappeared from view. Perhaps he should do that more often; it was fun seeing them chase a dummy.

Still, his clothes were simply too thin. He could feel as the cold prickled against his skin, like hundreds of micro needles. One thing was certain; Kaito was going to end up sick. No doubt it was coming, his nose was already closing up. With any luck it wouldn't be too bad, Kaito disliked being sick. With his mom out of the country, and Aoko too busy with her finals, having to deal with the cold all alone was going to be nasty!

Suddenly, a violent burst of wind disturbed his thoughts, as the magician struggled to control the hang-glider. It shook terribly, his whole body freezing quickly.

So lost in his thoughts, Kaito had completely missed the fact that he was not in control. At least not anymore. Somewhere along the way, the wind currents had changed, and suddenly he was no longer aiming at Ekoda.

"Damn…" Gritting his teeth as he was thrown left, barely managing to hang on, Kaito prepared himself for a rough landing, for the first time realizing that perhaps using his hang-glider with a newly forming blizzard had not been the brightest idea.

It was going to be a rough landing. Probably followed by frostbite, pneumonia and in the worst-case scenario, even hypothermia. Because instead of returning home, he was flying straight to Beika. Damn it, he should have thought twice before using the hang-glider!

"Curse you, winter weather!"


	3. Chapter 3

**Declaimer: I don't own Detective Conan.**

 **A/N: Day 3! Since it is Sunday, and I had a little bit of free time, longer chapter! Or rather, doubt chapter in one. Enjoy. :)**

 **YourLocalAlchemist: Thank you for the review. And to answer your question... Muahahaha! Hope you get better quickly from the cold. :)**

 **Words: 1090**

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Kaito knew he had screwed up. He should have forced himself to return by foot, or hid in the museum until morning. It was only few hours away anyway, why leave? Then Jii-chan would have come for him, bringing a sweater or a coat... anything really, as long as it kept him warm. Then again, hindsight is twenty-twenty, as was said.

Groaning as the wind threw him in a random direction once again, his hands burning like crazy, for once Kaito feared for his life. Usually Lady Luck favored him, but it was clear he was not getting out of that situation easily. Lady luck was angry with him, and he wasn't sure why.

The thief had briefly considered just letting go of the hang-glider, but the fear of falling and breaking all his bones overwrote the cold. At least he could still move, while with a broken bone he would be as good as dead. Then again, with the numbness in his legs, it was doubtful if he could move anyway.

"You little..." The airflow changed once again, as suddenly Kaito was falling straight into a giant snowman. He hadn't even noticed that he had been flying on such a low altitude, his consciousness barely there. Even his voice was nothing more than a harsh whisper, his throat burning with vengeance.

The snow was cold, but against his frozen limbs, it felt almost welcoming. The magician hadn't even felt when he fell backwards, hitting the hard asphalt. Or at least it should be hard, he could hardly feel anything.

"F..." There was no strength to move his mouth. While flying he hadn't noticed the tiredness, but suddenly, his whole body felt sluggish and heavy. Even his attempt at looking around was met with little success; there was simply no strength for it.

Kaito wanted to sleep. The snow was like a nice, fluffy bed, so nice and warm...

"N-o..." Snapping out of it, the magician forced his body to move, rolling like a log face first into the snow. Breathing was painful; first he needed to lift his head...

Somehow, after minutes of struggle, Kaito managed to stand up. Or at least something similar to that, his vision was swaying dangerously. _I must move..._ The magician knew it was dangerous. At least a part of him knew it, while the body called for some rest. However, Kaito was stubborn. He would not give up like that.

Taking one-step at a time, eyes glazed and mind fuzzy, the magician tried to find a house. Anything really, as long as it would be enough to hide from the cold. The overwhelming cold that cut into his legs, breaking his concentration... _One more..._ The magician though, placing a feet forward. _Just one more..._

His leg suddenly failed underneath him, and the young magician fell like a marionette, lying breathless. Breathing hurt, moving hurt, thinking hurt. He wanted to rest; he wanted to sleep. _No, no, stand up!_ Part of him screamed, but it was quickly muffled by the haziness and tiredness, as if it didn't matter.

Kaito wanted to sleep. Perhaps after a quick nap it would be easier... yes, it certainly would.

As his consciousness slipped away, cruelly taken despite his struggles, a small voice laughed in despair. It would serve him well, to lose himself to the snow. Father taken by fire, son by ice. _Mom, I'm sorry..._

 _._

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The detective felt tired. Extremely so, and it was only dinnertime. He had stupidly taken a small nap in the afternoon, and it had been the worst idea ever. Despite the countless alarms he had put on, they had been all useless. He still woke up hours later than he had wanted, more tired and sleepy than when he went to bed.

Whomever said naps were good should be burned painfully.

Yawning as he forced his sluggish body to move, Shinichi cleaned the plate he had used. Good thing he had made extra food during lunch, there was no strength left to cook dinner that night. All he wanted was to return to his nice, warm bed, and snuggle under the covers and fall asleep while hopping December would just end.

The forced break was horrible, disgustingly calm. There were no cases, no university, and no new books to read. No reason to wake up and move; no incentive to crawl out of his warm bed. The simplest tasks were a pain, even eating suddenly felt like an unwanted chore. And it was only the beginning of his imprisonment.

(Because no matter how much Ran tried to deny it, he had been caged in his own house.)

"Snap out of it." Shinichi grumbled as he shook his head, grabbing the nearest blanket. He knew such thoughts were bad. Such symptoms were usually associated with depression, and the last thing he needed was for Ran to misunderstand, should she come to visit him. He was simply unaccustomed to so much free time, just that. "I can't go to sleep yet. Something to do..."

When left with no cases and no studying, Shinichi found that he had nothing else to do. No hobbies, aside from reading books or playing football, and he could not play with the snow outside. Not even rereading his favorite books looked appealing at that time, boredom overwhelming everything. Haibara had gone with the children to a snowy retreat, so he could not go bug her either...

Shinichi was bored. Bored and stuck in his cold house; no wonder all he did was sleep. Left with nothing but his own thoughts...

"This is pathetic." It was, and the detective knew it. Perhaps Sonoko was right; he had no life aside from work. "We have some games I could play... but they are party games. And no way I am subjecting myself to my own horrible gaming skills... I'm going to take a walk outside."

Yes. Fresh air would do him good. Not allowing himself to think twice, the detective forced himself to change into warmer clothes, stubbornly ignoring the small voice in his head stating that it was no permanent solution. After all, he could not stay outside every second of the day. However, Shinichi paid it no heed, drowning his morning coffee and walking out.

It was cold outside, so much more than usual, and for a second the detective remembered the warning of a blizzard coming, but shrugged it off. After all, he was only going to take a walk around the block. Nothing bad would happen.


	4. Chapter 4

**Declaimer: I don't own Detective Conan**

 **A/N: Day 4: I was lazy today people... My eyes are closing, but I promised myself I would not lose to the sleepiness! And so this chapter was born! Tan TAn TAN! (I should probably go to sleep, classes early in the morning tomorrow...)**

 **YourLocalAlchemist: Famous last words... XD Thank you for reading.**

 **Kensy Echo: Thank you! You don't realize how happy your words make me. I do agree with you. I am begging for a holiday even though the week has just started and I skipped most of my classes last week XD Only Shin-chan really...**

 **Words: 564**

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Shinichi was certain he was an idiot. Nothing else explained why he decided to go out in the middle of a blizzard. Even if the blizzard hadn't complexly formed yet, nothing changed. Stupid idiot.

Sighing as he rubbed his hands together, trying to restore the circulation, the detective looked up. The sky was covered with heavy clouds from which snow fell with no mercy. And the worst was yet to come, the news reported that wind was going to pick up during night, and next day it would be nearly impossible to leave the house.

Shinichi could imagine the panic. People running to the store in order to stock up on food and water. Most places would be closed, and only the brave would venture outside to control the natural disaster. The pessimistic part formed pictures of buried cars, houses and bodies. He had to wonder what would happen to the homeless people, those who had no safe place to hide. He knew realistically that no shelter would have the capacity to protect everyone. Lives would be lost without a doubt.

Scowling at the darkness of his thoughts, Shinichi decided it was time to return. It was getting to cold even with the layers he was wearing; his warm room awaited him.

He was so concentrated on his thoughts that as he stumbled against something solid, he immediately lost his balance and fell hard. Groaning in pain, feeling the cold grow worse, the detective regretted stepping out of the house. Perhaps he should have just given in and gone to sleep.

Blues eyes opened, only to widen to comical proportions.

He had stumbled on a body. Damn it, not even on his break was he even free from the crime, perhaps Megure had some point when he had called him a Shinigami.

The victim had been young, not more than twenty-five for sure. Lean body and handsome face, Shinichi had to wonder who would ever harm someone that innocent looking. Perhaps a jealous ex-girlfriend, there was a crescent rise on that type of murders after all.

Trying to stand up, Shinichi stumbled once again as his hand slipped on the icy road, and suddenly his face ended up much more closer to corpse's that he would ever want. He probably should have freaked out, Ran certainly would; but after once spending a day locked in a container of frozen bodies there was hardly anything that disgusted him anymore. Still, it was a pity; the young man was exactly his type.

A small movement of the eyelashes, faint mumble and wheezing noise, and suddenly Shinichi's hand was moving to the exposed neck, heart hammering. Sliding his finger down the stranger's throat, the detective located the carotid artery, not daring to move.

There! He could feel a faint pulse, and as he neared his face to the strangers, he could hear the shallow, breathless intakes of air. The stranger was still alive. Probably suffering from hypothermia, detective had no time to lose.

Not even thinking about it, Shinichi took his coat, enveloping it around the stranger. He needed to immediately warm him up. Good thing they were close to his house, or else the stranger would have no chance. Lifting him up with as much care as he could, careful not to hurt him any further, Shinichi hurried to return.


	5. Chapter 5

**Declaimer: I don't own Detective Conan**

 **A/N: Day 5: Today was a good day, if I may so myself. Probably because I overslept and missed all my classes XD Still, I probably better start working on my assignments, or else it's going to be hell.**

 **YourLocalAlchemist: Hai-desu!**

 **Kensy Echo: I'll be honest. I can totally picture Shinichi during a crime scene thinking that the victim was pretty or something like that. XD He is crazy enough to get himself into deadly situation twice a week, so who knows. *shrugs***

 **lover-of-dreams: Thank you. Hope you stick until the end!**

 **Words: 1073**

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The ambulance was never going to arrive.

Shinichi knew it the moment his phone failed to connect with the emergency line, ringing pointlessly as he closed the door behind him, though he hadn't expected much in the first place. The hospitals were bound to be swarmed with emergencies; no doubt the available ambulances were already in use rushing around the city.

Throwing the phone away, the detective knew he would have to deal with it alone. Good thing he had experience dealing with hypothermia, though it would certainly be the first time he treated someone else.

Not losing momentum, he hurried to the warmest room in the house, which happened to be his own since Shinichi had not turned off the heating. The main objective was to warm up the stranger, while being careful not to cause a thermal shock. The detective had a chance to save a life, better not blew it away by being too rash.

Bringing few heating pads, grateful for the first time they were electric, as he certainly did not want to lose time heating water, Shinichi left them charging. The first goal would be to take off the stranger's half frozen clothes, since all they did was deprive him of warmth. Good thing the stranger was completely unconscious. Last thing Shinichi needed was to explain to a half-delirious man exactly why he was taking off his clothes. He suspected that would not go well.

Still, he though as he quickly removed the shirt, the young man had to be mental. No one in their right mind would go out in such thin, spring like clothes. The winter was bad that year, even without the quickly forming blizzard. Unless, of course, there was foul play involved. Narrowing his eyes at the idea, battling against the dark frozen jeans, he debated the possibilities. Someone must have knocked the stranger out and left him to die on the streets. It would explain the light clothing. Unless he was wrong and the stranger was indeed mental. Didn't matter, he would need to investigate it later.

Once every piece was removed, Shinichi hurried to place the warm pads on the stranger's torso, careful to warp them in a towel. He wanted to warm him up, not kill with thermal shock or leave burn marks on his skin. (He had, of course, given the young man some underwear change; though he seriously hoped there would be no follow up questions. The detective wasn't sure he would survive through the awkwardness.)

For now it would have to do, the detective though as he disposed of the clothes, not wanting a big puddle in the middle of his room. The temperature rise had to be gradual; otherwise, the young man would suffer serious side effects. It was a miracle he hadn't died in the first place...

Suddenly feeling extremely anxious, the detective approached the bed, immediately checking for a pulse. His heart twisted at the possibility of letting the stranger die, so he felt tremendously relieved as the pulse against his finger, faint but regular. He couldn't quite explain why he felt like that, but something about the stranger seemed remarkably familiar.

Still, he was worried; he wanted a proper way to monitor the heartbeat. He couldn't continue sitting there with his hand warped around the stranger's. If only he had an electrocardiogram... Wait, he did have one!

Warping a towel around the young man's neck, readjusting the heat pads, Shinichi left after checking once more that his patient was still alive. When he had been recovering from his time as Conan, Haibara had acquired an ECG just for him. (How she did it, however, was a mystery he did not want to have answered. He suspected there was a lot of threatening and blackmail involved.) It was still in his house, hidden away in one of the rooms for future use. (Shinichi had to admit she used it rather often; he had a black history with accidents after all.)

Pulling it back into the room, ignoring the noise since there was no one to complain about it in the first place, Shinichi mentally went over the placement of the electrodes. Since he only needed the most basic data, he did not need to record all the data. Good thing too, he wasn't as trained in it as Haibara.

"Let's see, one should be ground..." Working on attaching everything correctly, he checked the manual just to make sure. Last thing he wanted was to accidentally record unrelated muscle activity.

Once everything was set up, Shinichi watched the regular heart activity, relaxing just the slightest bit. Honestly he hadn't noticed how tense he had been until the beeping begun. The steady beating was actually the best sound he had heard in a while, an undeniable proof that his guest was still alive.

Sliding down the wall he had been leaning on, Shinichi closed his eyes for a second. He was tired, and it was only the beginning. He needed to find warm blankets and prepare easy to eat food. Medicine too, he suspected that once hypothermia was dealt with, fever would follow. Without question the stranger would end up sick after his little adventure, so he needed to be ready for that too. Soup would probably be the best, and tea to replenish the fluids once he woke up. Though Shinichi would need to see his condition first, whatever he could swallow things or not. Perhaps it was best to check if they had ice cubes, shaved ices would probably be easier on the throat...

Rubbing his face as he thought of everything he had to do, Shinichi smiled. Well, at least he wasn't bored anymore. Not only he had something to do, he hadn't even broken Ran's stupid rules. Take that!

Shaking his head, hurrying to stand up, the detective checked on the stranger one more time, making sure the temperature wasn't dropping. It seemed the stranger was recovering well, but he would still need to be careful, hypothermia wasn't something to joke with. That said, the detective needed to figure out a way to hydrate him... Better call Haibara; she was bound to have some IV stashed somewhere.

Taking off to prepare everything, the detective resigned himself quite happily not to sleep that night, making a mental note to prepare some coffee. He was going to watch the stranger like a hawk all night.


	6. Chapter 6

**Declaimer: I don't own Detective Conan**

 **A/N: Day 6: Today was a good day too. I actually had an idea for another story XD The list is growing, I don't know what to do. In any case, I wrote it down. With my memory, if I don't write it, I will forget it completely and then regret... (this is staring to feel like a daily diary. I have never posted so many times in a row...)**

 **YourLocalAlchemist: You are never late. Have fun with writing, sometimes night is the best time!**

 **Thank's everyone for the reviews and support! \o.o/**

 **Words: 809**

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He felt hot. Fire was burning him, consuming every fiber with vicious precision. He wanted to cry, to scream for help.

Pain.

There was nothing but pain. He wanted to run away, but his body wasn't moving, locked in place. Breathing was hard, moving impossible. He would die there, in agony, and no one would know.

Indigo eyes opened for a second, wanting to beg for mercy, glazed and unfocused. The world was red in his eyes, and as suddenly as he woke up, he was gone again, taken by the pain.

.

.

The room was burning. It had to be. It was too hot, too unbearable. Curling into a ball, hopping to get away from the fire, he moaned in pain. His arms felt like lead, dragging him down, as he attempted to escape. Even rolling to the other side was a task, how would he escape? His mind might be fuzzy, he could barely think, but he remembered that flame was bad.

Flame killed. Flame took everything.

But why... he couldn't remember...

As he finally managed to turn around, face burying into something fluffy that made it hard to breathe, he found he had no energy left. The heat suddenly retreated, his body shivering slightly from the cold came out of nowhere. To the point that he wasn't even sure what was worse, as his body trembled painfully.

Gentle hands caught him, and suddenly it was so much easier to breathe. Trying to open his eyes, he felt something warm covering him, tremors retreating slightly. He wanted to see his unknown savior, but it was so hard, he felt so tired... Sleep called him, but he was too stubborn. He wanted to see them, thank them properly...

The gentle touch was back, a hand laying softly on his forehead, and suddenly he found that he didn't care anymore. It felt so good against his burning skin; he simply couldn't help but smile a little, following after it like a puppy. He welcomed that touch, gentle and caring.

"Tha... you..." He tried to say, but it was hard, his mind growing hazy. Unconsciousness was calling him back, even though he wanted to feel that touch for longer...

.

.

Next time he woke up, fire had been replaced by ice. It was so cold, body shivering uncontrollably. Every shiver hurt, sending pain across his limbs, but he tried to ignore it. He didn't understand where he was, how he got there. There was something covering him, restricting his movements.

Where was he?

He groaned as his head pounded, only to regret it immediately. His throat was killing him. Literally. It was as if knives were piercing it, he regretted opening his mouth. The heck was going on?

Fighting to ignore the pain, indigo eyes opened with a snap. Trying to control the shivering, he sat up with difficulty. Another wrong choice, since he could barely stay upright. The world before him was swimming unsteadily, spinning like a yoyo, and suddenly he left like puking his guts out.

A basin appeared before him like by magic, but he didn't care, hardly even noticing it as he folded forward. He didn't seem to have much in his stomach, but as he heaved dryly, scratching his throat further, it was the last worry in his mind. If he had thought his throat was painful before, then there was no way to describe it after that... Unwanted tears flowed to his eyes as he tightened a hand against the throbbing throat, hopping to somehow, anyhow, stop the pain.

He hadn't noticed how tightly he was squeezing it until warm hands pulled his away, holding them gently in place. Confused and surprised, he looked up. Gentle blue eyes, dark, messy hair, concerned expression... In the unsteady world, the strangely beautiful blue eyes were his only anchor.

Something warm touched his cheeks, and almost in a daze, he noticed it was a pale hand, gently wiping his tears away. His stomach did another flip, but this time not from nausea, and he smiled gratefully at his beautiful savior. The stranger was saying something, a slight worried frown adorning his face, but it was hard to hear. There was a strange buzzing, vision growing darker.

No, he wanted to gaze more! Wanted to feel more the gentleness of the touch. "Y- re-."He wanted to hear it, wanted to know the voice of his angel, but it was hard. He could barely make out the words though the noise. "La- -n." As the beauty gently laid him down, adjusting the covers, he wondered if the voice would be as enchanting as the eyes. Almost in an afterthought, he lifted his hand, touching the caring angel's face softly. It felt nice, warm and fluffy. He wondered how it would feel, to run his finger along...


	7. Chapter 7

**Declaimer: I don't own Detective Conan**

 **A/N: Day 7 (AKA 8): Life can be such a... "female dog". Chapter was written yesterday, but I didn't have time to edit it and publish it. Well, I could, at 3 am, but I was too tired to even think about it. One strike for me I guess. BUT! Three strikes alright? I'm haven't lost yet... three strikes...**

 **Lover-of-Dreams: Shinichi is such a lovely angel... Unless he is playing with Kid. Then he is a devil people!**

 **YourLocalAlchemist: After two days with no sleep, I am quite certain he thinks nothing. XD (because I am evil)**

 **Kensy Echo: What I feel? Well... I try to pretend it is happening to me. Sometimes it is hard to put it in words what the character is feeling, but that's what I do. Sometimes it is hard, just like you say. When feeling depressed it is harder to write, but you need to close your eyes, and imagine that you are someone else. It may sound strange, but I come up with a lot of my stories when I am cleaning. My family is big, so there is a lot of cleaning to do, and while I clean I start pretending that I am someone else, living an adventure. Makes cleaning easier XD**

 **Thanks for reading everyone! Next chapter is on it's way!**

 **Words: 932**

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A part of him could not actually believe that had happened. Sitting there as a statue, watching as the stranger fell asleep, the detective did not breathe. He was not able to, his mind replaying what had happened repeatedly in slow motion. It wasn't every day a complete stranger gently caressed his face after all.

Shaking his head, trying not to think about it, Shinichi stood up. He didn't want to think about it. Especially not about his reaction, because thinking that it felt nice was not an appropriate reaction. At all. Last thing he wanted was to grow attached to a complete stranger. The unconscious man must have been hallucinating, thinking it was his girlfriend taking care of him or something...

And now Shinichi was feeling bad... damn it.

The vibration of his phone woke him from the strange thoughts, as Shinichi remembered that there was a soup waiting for his attention. His last three attempts had been a complete disaster; if that one failed too, he would have to swallow his pride and make some instant noodles or something. The blizzard was still going strong out-side even after two days, and he honestly didn't want to subject anyone to nature's fury. He would nail that soup, even if he ended using all his ingredients!

Feeling fired up, Shinichi checked one last time on his guest. The sleeping man had tired himself out, and would probably sleep for a while. There was an IV attached to his arm, slowly giving the necessary medicine and hydrating the patient; the detective had given in and called Haibara for some advice. Despite the grumbles, the girl had helped a lot, giving him instructions on how to deal with an unconscious, hypothermia-recovering patient. The medicine currently dripping into his arm had been a genius idea, it was treating the cold and he didn't even have to wake up the man. Haibara well deserved the brand bag she had requested.

Contrary to before, the stranger appeared to be having a nice dream, his mouth turned slightly upwards. Shinichi wondered if he was dreaming about his girlfriend, before stopping that line of thought. He didn't care, there was a soup waiting for him. Suppressing a yawn, making a mental note to brew more coffee, the detective left the room.

Success! Finally, a soup that didn't make him gag.

Feeling so proud of himself, eyes instantly averting from the previous attempts, Shinichi patted himself on the back. Mentally of course, he was too busy transporting the soup to a safer location. So what if it had taken him five tries, he was content. While it certainly wasn't a Ran-level dish, it was at an acceptable level. He doubted the sick stranger would care much for the taste, as long as it wasn't too terrible.

Suppressing the yawn that was threatening to take over, he had not slept for the past two days, his phone rung loudly. Frowning, it took a while for his mind to catch up, realizing it was Ran's ring tone.

"Yes?" Turning on the coffee machine, Shinichi manipulated it with precision, knowing he needed the strongest coffee available. He probably should just go to sleep, but the stubborn part of him refused.

"Finally, I called you two times already." Blinking in surprise, the detective looked at the phone, concluding that indeed he had two missed calls. Strange how he hadn't noticed them, his Ran-tune was rather loud.

"Sorry, I was making some soup and wasn't paying attention."

"You are cooking? Is the house still intact?" Huffing, he poured the coffee into his big cup, enjoying the aroma. He had only burned the kitchen once, and suddenly everyone was acting as if he did it regularly. "Sorry, sorry. How are you holding up?"

"I hate breaks. There's nothing to do, my mind is dying." Well, not anymore. Even with his stranger still unconscious, having someone else to take care off took his attention from the emptiness of the house. Being too busy ensuring another person didn't die had its peaks.

However, he kept his mouth about his guest. For some strange reason, he wanted to keep the his presence as a secret; he had only told Haibara because he needed her help. Logically, there was no reason for that; he knew it. But for once he chose to be selfish.

"I know, but you need some rest." Rolling his eyes, the detective slowly walked back to his room, enjoying the coffee. "It will get better. Anyway, I wanted to talk to you about Christmas, I this year - Wait a second."

As someone called Ran, talking in quick hushed voices, Shinichi took that chance to lower the sound of the ECG machine, as Ran would immediately recognize the sound. The IV was still good, so he simply adjusted the covers, sitting on the sofa chair he had dragged in there. In half an hour, he would need to take the temperature, though judging by the visual cues, the stranger was recovering well.

"Sorry, I am being called. We'll talk later alright?" Not even giving him a chance to answer, Ran ended the call.

Blinking surprised, the detective shook his head. Ran was the one that needed some rest. As the end of the year approached, the firm where she was doing her internship was slowly being overthrown by work. Lying his head on the armrest, Shinichi closed his eyes, deciding to take a five minute break. He doubted he would fall asleep with that much coffee in his blood, so just to rest his eyes...


	8. Chapter 8

**Declaimer: I don't own Detective Conan**

 **A/N: Day 8: So today was easier than yesterday. It was my sister's godson's birthday, so there was CAKE! There was also tea, which I suspect had something in it, because everyone who drunk it was falling asleep. So yes, I have quite a loooot of caffeine in my blood stream at the moment. Muahahahaha... (I probably should calm down...)**

 **Words: 1248**

 **ENJOY!**

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Kaito woke up without a warning, as his consciousness returned with a bang.

He was an idiot. No, honestly, he really was, and Aoko had been right all along. There was simply no other explanation to his stupid, childish actions, because a smart person would know that flying out during a harsh winter, dressed in simple clothes, with the warning of a blizzard, was the stupidest thing someone could ever do.

To be honest, the magician wasn't even sure why he was even alive. He clearly remembered passing out on the deserted street, too cold and tired to move. Someone must have seen him and called the ambulance, because he could clearly hear the sound of his heart. There was also the IV in his arm, it felt extremely uncomfortable, he had always been sensitive to that.

However, something felt out of place. There were no bright lights, to white colored walls. No smell of antiseptic. Not that he was complaining, he never really liked it in the first place, but it rang alarm bells in his head. Disinfecting the hospital rooms was a standard procedure; no real hospital would ever skip it.

Looking around despite the pounding in his head, his eyes grew wide. He was in someone's room, and it looked strangely familiar. Grey walls, a bookcase filled with books, small desk with a computer and countless documents files... Where had he seen that before...?

Stopping himself from groaning as he tried to sit up, Kaito gave up after the first attempt, suspecting that it would not end up well. He had a distinct impression that he had attempted it before, with bad consequences. Though for some strange reason, he couldn't get the image of blue gems out of his head... He had even dreamed about it, him as Kid stealing a pair of blue sapphires...

Kaito was losing track of his thoughts, and it was dangerous. First, he needed to figure out where he was, and then he would worry about the gems.

Well, he was in someone's house. Someone who had medical equipment in their house... Shivering, Kaito prayed that it wasn't some evil scientist. They had saved him, so they had to be good... right?

Trying to ignore the darker possibilities, Kaito took a deep breathe, stabilizing his heart. He needed to believe that everything would end up decently. The Lady Luck might be angry with him, but obviously she hadn't deserted him completely. Still, he really needed to figure out whom his savior was. His memories were rather fuzzy; all he could recall was a cold hand against his forehead.

Sitting up slowly, using the pillows around him to secure himself, Kaito smiled. Though he doubted he could stand steadily, at least the world wasn't swirling around anymore. _Anymore?_ From where had that thought come?

It didn't matter, finally he could look easily around the room. It indeed looked rather familiar, specially the detective sleeping in a corner with an empty mug dangerously hanging from his hand... Wait, what?

Heart making a jump, indigo eyes widened to comical proportions. T-t-that was Tantei-kun! Even with a messy hair, it was easy to make out the cowlick standing on the back of his head! What was Tantei-kun doing there? Did the person that saved him kidnap him? Oh no, Kaito needed to do something immediately to help or-

Slapping himself on the face, with the free hand of course, Kaito couldn't believe his own thoughts. Damn, he was an idiot of monumental proportions. Obviously, Tantei-kun was the one who found him! It would explain the familiarity of the room, Kaito had snuck in there often to return the stolen objects; and even the blue gems. In his fever-induced haze, he must have thought those wonderful eyes to be a pair of blue emeralds or something. Though he could recall thinking someone was angel... and that thought would have to wait for later.

Tantei's presence made everything better, and at the same not. Being found by the detective of all people... hopefully he had no incriminating clues on him, though he couldn't remember much. He hopped that the lack of handcuffs meant he was safe. He had been using his usual undercover outfit, it was normal enough not to rise suspicious...

And as he thought about that, he noticed that he was not wearing his clothes. Kudo changed him... which thinking logically was the most natural thing; he had been found dying in the snow, but the thought of Kudo Shinichi, of all people, changing his clothes while he was unconscious... Man, Kaito wanted to die from embarrassment, violently.

The sound of the machine brought him back to the present, suddenly aware the consequences of having a machine recoding his heartbeat. And for the first time, he understood exactly why people didn't like them. He had made a move to stop it, he could see the button that adjusted the volume, but his hand slipped, balance lost. The clash between his head and the headboard was enormous, but nothing compared to the pain.

Groaning as he slipped down, holding his head, Kaito cursed his luck. If the beep hadn't awaken up the detective, the bang surely would. Oh, god, his head hurt so much...

"What's wrong?" The detective was on his feet quickly, voice worried despite the obvious sleepiness. Being so worried about a person he didn't even know... "Your head hurts? I was told not to give more painkillers..."

"No... well, yes, but no, it's fine..." Struggling against the pain, Kaito smiled slightly. "I hit my head. It will go away..." Hopefully, because Kaito disliked pain, a lot. Maybe if he stopped thinking...

The detective said nothing for a while, to the point that the magician actually started believing that his head was playing tricks on him, and the detective was still sleeping undisturbed. Therefore, it had been quite a surprise when something cold was pressed against the back of his head, eyes opening with a snap.

"Press it where it hurts. I can't give more pain killers, so this will have to work for now." Apparently, the detective was awake. Taking the ice, Kaito thanked him softly, not sure if he should even talk. Quite stupidly, he had never changed his voice as Kid. No one else noticed the similarities, but Tantei-kun was ten times smarter than everyone else was. If he discovered... "I'm sure you have some questions, but please try to relax. You don't seem to have a high fever anymore, but it's better to be careful with it. Oh, I haven't introduced myself. I am Kudo Shinichi, a detective."

Kaito knew that. Kaito knew quite a lot about the brilliant detective. Even though Kudo chased him during the heists, he had been more than willing to let Kid go when in tight spots. They even worked together sometimes. Kaito liked to think that they were friends... kind of. However, was he willing to give his real name? With the chance (rather high too) of the detective finding out his secret identity? Honestly, Kaito wasn't sure... Probably not...

But then, Tantei-kun looked at him with big, worried eyes, probably thinking that Kaito was still feeling out of it, and suddenly, the magician found himself talking. "My name is Kuroba Kaito. Thank you for helping me."

As Kaito cursed himself, _honestly, did he want to get caught?,_ Kudo smiled. And suddenly, it didn't matter as much, as long as Tantei-kun continued smiling.


	9. Chapter 9

**Declaimer: I don't own Detective Cona**

 **A/N: Day 9: Soon...(Is it only me, or is FF acting weird?)**

 **YourLocalAlchemist: \~.~/ Have a nice day. Have a nice day. (does a weird dance spell to improve the day)**

 **KaiShinQueen: Thanks! Now if only I could stop procrastinating... (looks away)**

 **Brook: XD I only noticed with your review. I knew it, I am slowly losing my mind. I´ll correct it once the problems with FF are resolved.**

 **Words: 1376**

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The chicken soup was a huge success, though Shinichi suspected it was only because the stran-, or rather, Kuroba's taste buds weren't working properly. He had decided to eat with him despite not being that hungry, just to assure him that it wasn't poisoned (not that Kuroba had asked), and while not disgusting, the detective had to admit it was bad. How he hadn't noticed it before was a mystery.

"Thank you. It was good." For a second Shinichi contemplated taking the stra- Kuroba to the hospital to do a brain scan. No way was that soup good. Tasteless, perhaps. Mediocre, certainly. But not good. "Pity I couldn't taste much of it."

Ah, that explained everything. Receiving the empty bowl, as Kuroba was still prohibited from leaving the bed, though the IV and the ECG had been removed, Shinichi sat nearby. After the introductions, the detective had deemed more important feeding his guest, deciding to postpone the difficult topic for later. However, he couldn't delay it any longer, Kuroba certainly was wondering how he ended up there.

"You have a lot of books." Getting ready to break the ice, Shinichi was left hanging as Kuroba suddenly started talking, his eyes on the small bookshelf nearby. "Most of them seem to be mystery novels."

"Ah yes... I like mystery." Those were his favorites that he had collected over the years, though most were stashed in a box under his bed. He had been meaning to buy a bigger bookshelf, but with his job and university, he hadn't had the time.

"Hm, I see. I have a friend who likes mysteries too." Somehow, the way Kuroba said friend made Shinichi seriously doubt that statement. "Once he starts talking about them it is hard to make him shut up. Like impossible."

"Oh... you don't like mystery?" He hadn't really meant to ask it, just a passing thought, but his mouth blurred it out without his consent.

"I have nothing against mystery. I like some books, Night Baron series are nice." Shinichi felt instantly better, and he had no idea why. "I'm simply not a hard die fan, so when my friend talks none stop it's a little..."

Shinichi could understand that, even if he sometimes had trouble controlling his own enthusiasm. As a younger teen he hadn't really cared about what other people thought, ranting about Sherlock Holmes twenty-four seven, but he had grown out of that phase. Unless the other person was interested, he knew it was wiser to keep his mouth shut.

Suddenly noticing that they were derailing from his original goal, the detective cleared his throat, taking control of the conversation. "Anyway, I am certain you have some questions. As you probably realized by now, you are at my house." Kuroba nodded, the small smile dying. "I've found you outside my house during a blizzard. You were wearing thin clothes, and suffering from hypothermia, so I took you in. I tried calling for an ambulance, but since the call never connected, and I had previous experience with hypothermia, I treated you myself."

"Experience with hypothermia? What happened?"

"I ended up stranded in the middle of a mountain alone hiding from a killer... it doesn't matter!" That wasn't something Shinichi liked to talk about, not even Haibara knew the real circumstances of that cursed weekend. "Do you remember how you ended up on the street?"

Kuroba fell silent, not that Shinichi could blame him. Even though he wasn't showing it, it must be terrifying to find out he had almost died, saved by chance by a complete stranger. Had it been him, Shinichi would have demanded immediately to call someone to pick him up, not willing to believe in the words of a complete stranger. Even if it was a person that had saved him, he knew too well how messed up humanity could be.

Kuroba, however, seemed to be a rather straight forward, trusting guy.

"I can't really... remember." Kuroba admitted, looking slightly worried. "I mean, I remember planning to do some flying near Ekoda, I just received a new hang-glide that I wanted to try... but I can't remember if I tried it or not."

"You were thinking of going flying in the middle of a blizzard?"

Kuroba gave him a small, sheepish smile, nodding. "I checked the meteorology report that day. I remember thinking that it would be exciting, but nothing life threatening. The winds were supposed to be only slightly higher than normal…"

Shinichi suddenly recalled the news, nodding in understanding. The warning came late in the afternoon. If Kuroba left the house before it, no wonder he was unaware of the seriousness of the situation.

"So the possibility of criminal activity...?"

"Crimi-? None!" The intensity of his replay convinced the detective more than any words could. "I don't remember much, but I bet this only happened because I was being stupid. I bet I forgot the coat, stubbornly decided to continue anyway in spite of the obvious signs of a blizzard..."

In spite of himself, Shinichi could clearly imagine it, but with himself as the main actor. To insist stubbornly on doing something despite being aware deep inside that it was dangerous... Shaking his head with a smile, Shinichi sighed. "I guess that is one mystery solved. I should probably chide you for such stupid actions, but since I am a regular offender, I will leave that for your parents."

Kuroba laughed slightly, though only for a moment, as he suddenly started coughing uncontrollably. His fever might have lowered, but he wasn't free from the cold yet. No doubt the fever would return during the night anyway.

"That was stupid of me..." Kuroba mumbled in pain, hugging his torso. The coughs had been rather dry, that must have hurt his lungs and throat. Shinichi had better bring the honey tea; it always worked when he was sick after all. And probably something for Kuroba to do. Lost in thoughts as he was, Shinichi jumped as something soft hit his face. "-do. KUDO."

"What?" Confused, Shinichi looked up in shock, only to see something white fly towards him at high speed. On instinct, the detective dodged it, feeling rather confused. Kuroba was throwing pillows. Why was Kuroba throwing pillows at him?

"Good one." Finally looking up, though wary in case there was another flying projectile waiting, Shinichi was rewarded with the biggest smile he had seen in a while. Kuroba was panting slightly, even throwing something as simple as a pillow must have been hard with his condition, but his eyes were sparkling with amusement.

"What was that for?" Shinichi did not pout. He did not, and anyone who said otherwise was a big liar.

"You were ignoring me." Was the simple, but informative, replay. "I don't like being ignored."

Blinking, Shinichi considered those words, picking up the fallen pillows. He could see from the awkward position that Kuroba was barely holding on, having lost the things that were keeping him upwards. "I apologize. I didn't mean to ignore you." Deciding to help before the man fell, the detective hurried to his side, honestly remorseful. "I was simply thinking about the things I need to do."

"Well, it's fine, as long as you don't do it again." Sighing in relief as the pillows were placed in their place, Kuroba laid tiredly, probably exhausted. "I'm not sure I'll have the strength to throw them again next time."

Smiling slightly, Shinichi nodded, adjusting the covers that had slid down. "I will go get some tea; it should help with your throat. Is here anything you tend to do when sick? I have books other than mysteries if you have a favorite; my father's collection is rather extensive."

"My head is spinning too fast for that." Kuroba admitted with his eyes closed. "I think I am ready for a small nap... if you don't mind."

"Of course. I'll wake you up if you sleep too much, you need to sleep at night too. Want me to remove the pillows?"

"No, I breathe better this way." Nodding, Shinichi took the soup bowls, planning to order dinner. He seriously didn't want to give Kuroba a stomach ache. "Thank you. For everything."

"Don't mention it. Have a nice nap."


	10. Chapter 10

**Declaimer: I don't own Detective Conan**

 **A/N: Day 10: I have no idea what is going on with FF, but it is starting to piss me off. On another note, I went to see my new cousin today. She is so little! She was born three weeks premature, but she's healthy! Finally we'll have a baby girl in the family.**

 **Tordue: Thank you! Good to see it's not just me. For a moment I though my internet went crazy again -.-**

 **Helenvoid: He needs a cover story. If he lies to Shinichi, and then Shinichi finds the hang-glider... he's toasted. So, better say he was using it since the beginning.**

 **Update: I swear I posted this yesterday! I should have checked instead of believing it worked... but FF wasn't opening, and I wanted to sleep. Curses!**

 **Words: 698**

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It had been a while since Kaito had been that sick. He usually was rather lucky; it had been years since the last time he had felt like dying, drenched in his own sweat fighting to simply breath. Then again, considering the alternative was death... perhaps he had gone off easy in the end. Even if his cold was slowly killing him.

"Here, drink some tea." Staying awake was painful; he could feel his whole body rebelling against his will. Tiredly, Kaito tried to hold the cup, only for it to slip through his unsteady fingers. "That was close..."

Closing his eyes as another wave of vertigo hit him, the magician felt like cursing, angry with himself. His fever had returned with vengeance; he had woken up from his short nap with a temperature of 39 degrees, shivering like a newborn fawn. He had wanted to curse his luck, Lady Luck was obviously still angry with him. Hopefully, the medicine he had ingested at great personal pain would help, he wasn't sure he would be able to endure it silently for much longer.

"S-sorry, I just can't..." Staring depressed at his treacherous hands, not able to hold even a simple cup, Kaito felt humiliated. Not able to do even the simplest things... It didn't help that the one helping him, caring for him like he was an invalid was none other the Great Detec- He couldn't even complete that thought, losing track of his words.

"Don't worry about it." Sitting next to him, Kudo lifted the cup to his lips. For a second, Kaito sat there simply staring, not understanding what the he wanted. "Drink. I'll hold the cup."

"Oh!" Had he not been already red as a tomato, he would have flushed embarrassed. Obviously Kudo wanted him to drink the tea. What an idiot.

Drinking gratefully, he enjoyed the warm tea with a hint of honey. It felt strange to know that Kudo had gone out of his way to proposedly make him some honey tea, simply to make it easier on his throat. When he had been forced to look after Hakuba for a day, he had done the minimal work and nothing else. And here was Kudo, going to such length for a complete stranger... Kaito was such a horrible person, refusing to take proper care of his kind-of-but-not-really friend!

Tearing up, because he was a horrible human being and he didn't deserve the nice, warm, sweet tea, Kaito felt depressed. And sad. And completely disappointed in himself. His mother had risen his better than that... and suddenly he was missing his mom, as strange as that sounded, which didn't make things any easier.

His head was a mess and his emotions even worse.

"What's wrong?" Kudo asked, holding the half-empty cup. The detective looked so worried, a frown between his brows, and it made him feel worse. "Was the tea bad? Does your throat hurt? I think I still have some throat candies that might help..."

Shaking his head, unable to explain without making things worse, because then Tantei-kun would realize exactly how bad of a person Kaito was and would leave him all alone and he didn't want to lose his only companion and...

Something warm wiped his cheeks gently, leaving the magician staring confused. That action sparkled a memory, a deja-vu, though he couldn't quite place it. "It will be fine. Soon the medicine will kick in and you'll start feeling better, trust me." Even though the detective looked rather uncomfortable, the frown deepening, he still tried to comfort Kaito. "Have some more tea, it'll help."

Kaito didn't deserve having someone that nice taking care of him. He really didn't, but perhaps it wasn't bad if he choose to enjoy it a little. Not if he swore to treat people better after that, even Hakuba. Yes, he would do that.

Smiling at the detective as he turned to pour more tea, adding a rather generous dose of honey, Kaito felt rather giddy. The sadness was all gone, though he still wanted to see his mother. Perhaps he should call her, and tell her how amazing Tantei-kun was. Yes, he should do that.


	11. Chapter 11

**Declaimer: I don't own Detective Conan**

 **A/N: Day 11: Two weeks until Christmas vacations... I better start studying each day, or else I'll fail the semester. -.-**

 **P.S. Fixed chapter 8. Finally.**

 **P.S.2. Next chapter, they will finally interact properly!**

 **Words: 1018**

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Shinichi never realized how tiring it was to take care of a sick person. He only had experience taking care of Ran, and the girl was an exemplary patient, mostly sleeping through the day. His current patient, however, was difficult to say the least.

Watching silently as the young man dozed off again, Shinichi sighed. He had never expected Kuroba to lose control of his emotions, and it hadn't been a pleasant surprise. When he had seen him crying, eyes slowly becoming red, he had panicked. He didn't know how to deal with crying, emotional people. Especially not when they were sick with a high temperature in risk of a complications. The snow might have slowed down, but Shinichi doubted there was enough space in the hospital for another patient.

So he did what he did best. He tried to deduce what started it.

Kuroba had complained, though not exactly openly, that his throat was hurting. Shinichi had deduced it by the small signs, the way he tried not to speak too loudly, ate slowly and carefully, rubbed his throat from time to time... So he immediately assumed it was somehow related to his throat. He knew cold drinks irritated it further, so he had brought warm, but not scalding, tea. Perhaps it wasn't warm enough? Or was it the honey, should he add more? It couldn't be that the tea tasted afoul, he had followed the instructions to the letter!

In the end, Kuroba had denied everything, but the sadness in those vivid eyes hadn't changed, and Shinichi had swore to himself to learn how to brew a proper tea even if it killed him. If his tea had managed to bring someone to tears... Just like before, he had wiped the tears away, before adding more honey to the drink hopeful it would overpower everything else.

Sighing once again as he tried the tea, unable to taste anything but honey, Shinichi resigned himself to make another batch of tea. That time he would use an herbal blend Ayumi's mother had given him for his birthday (apparently saving his daughter once from a misguided kidnapper had earned him the right to receive birthday and Christmas gifts every year). Hopefully Kuroba would like that more, though the detective was going to have the honey ready in case he messed up again...

"Mom..." Kuroba suddenly mumbled, shifting in his sleep. "No... fi..."

As he thought about it, neither had remembered to call Kuroba's home. With the disaster that had been the blizzard, his parents were bound to be worried. Aware his guest would not sleep for long, not that Shinichi was going to let him anyway, just enough for the medicine to start working, Shinichi would need to remind him. And then Kuroba would call his family, whom were guaranteed to come pick him up... leaving Shinichi alone.

Stopping walking at the sudden though, the detective frowned. That's right, Kuroba was going to leave... he had been so invested in caring for the man, that he had completely forgotten they were nothing more than strangers. Someone out there was waiting for Kuroba to come back, be it a family member or a girlfriend.

Scowling, unable to understand why the last thought made something in his gut twist, Shinichi shook his head. Sure, it had been fun, finally having something to do that kept his attention, but he needed to return Kuroba. He couldn't keep him simply because he thought it was interesting. That was almost as bad as kidnapping someone, with the little difference that he had found him on the street.

 _Finders keepers._ A strange part of him whispered, which he chose to ignore, because Kuroba wasn't a puppy he had found abandoned under a bridge. Concentrating on making the tea, because with his culinary skills he could burn even water, Shinichi made his decision. He would give Kuroba his phone to call whomever he needed. Kuroba would leave probably still that night, and the detective would let him go with some recommendations regarding his health and with a smile.

Checking the timer, Shinichi nodded as three minutes passed, taking off the infusion. He had followed the instructions carefully, so it should be good. Hopefully. Taking it with him as he returned, planning to visit the library for some games after leaving the tea in the room, Shinichi was caught by surprise as a pair of indigo eyes locked on him. Kuroba had been sleeping for less than fifteen minutes; he had expected it to be longer.

"Where were you?" The question seemed rather strange, but Shinichi supposed understandable. For someone stuck in a stranger's house, not knowing where the other person was must be nerve-racking.

"I was in the kitchen making more tea. Are you feeling better?" Haibara had ensured him the medicine would work quickly, she had often used it on him after all, but he wanted to make sure.

"I can think better now." Kuroba admitted with a small smile, shivering less. "I think the temperature has dropped slightly too."

"That's good." Understanding that there was no better time than the present, repressing the incomprehensible apprehension, Shinichi took out his phone. "I think it's better if you call someone. I bet they are worried sick about you."

"You are right! I almost forgot. Thanks." Shinichi passed the phone, suddenly feeling awkward as Kuroba quickly dialed a number, feeling like he should leave.

"I will return soon. Need to check on the... dinner." He really should not need to lie, but he wasn't the best at social interactions in the first place, not sure what to do otherwise.

Hurrying away from Kuroba's inquiring eyes, Shinichi decided he would use that time to pick up some games and books. Though he still didn't know what Kuroba liked... not that he was willing to return there to ask, Kuroba must want to talk with his family in private. After that they would spend the time waiting for his parents to pick him up by playing some games, he had a rather big collection of party games after all.


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